Its **** but I'm Sticking With it

I need to lose about 120 lbs.I started with Atkins and at first did well but then all weight loss stopped and I didn't lose not one lb for 3 ws.I desided it must be due to my limited mobility. I have MD. So I switched to counting calaries and am keeping it between 500 and 800 per day.Sunday is weight day and I'm praying for some progress.

500 to 800 calories a day. you are going to kill yourself. I really don't think that is healthy at all. Please consider eating more calories. You may be doing real damage to your body. My toddler needs more that 800 calories a day.

I'll second the concern about 500-800 calories, my general feeling about that is that you will kick your body into starvation mode and it'll try everything in its ability to get you to eat and overeat.

Did you count your calories while on Atkins? You should try a more reasonable amount like 1200-1800.

I agree with all the above. I did 1000 cals once and it was horrible, in two weeks I gained almost 5lbs (body went into starvation mode and kept everything I ate) I did not do good on atkins, but I'm doing good so far on weight watchers. Every body is diffrent, but do your self a favor, eat more that you are now!

Hey Pam ,
Good Luck with your progress. I'd love to know how you get on. I'm sorry you've been finding it difficult. If you upped your calories a bit you'd probiably find it easier to stick to your diet. There's something about feeding a furnace to keep it burning and its the same with our metabolism.
Good Luck - you could join us on the weekly weight loss thread. I'll be looking out for you!
Love Annie

I'd love to eat more .When I was doing Atkins I counted cal. and carb. I keep he carbs to 20 and the cal averaged 1200 daily but every week zip on the scale. I even bought a new scale hoping my old one wasn't working properly.If I could see just a little progress I'd feel I could let up and add a few.I'll find out tomarrow morning.

Eating so few calories per day is the fast road to failure. Sure, you may lose a ton of weight quickly, BUT:

It is incredibly difficult to stick to that low a calorie level for the length of time it takes to get to goal weight. Going on a weight loss program is uncomfortable for a lot of reasons, but it should not be ****. You are torturing yourself needlessly.

It is impossible to get enough nutrients for your body to function properly with so little food. I don't care if you are taking vitamins or whatever -- you are missing so much vital nutrition that you could start seeing symptoms of deficiency syndromes or diseases. Even at 1200 calories, it's important to take a basic multivitamin to cover all the bases.

Even if you do, you will have crashed your metabolism to the point that it may not even be possible to reach goal. If you do, you'll have to essentially stick to that calorie level in order to avoid gaining weight. Your metabolism crashes for two basic reasons -- first, your body thinks there is a famine, and SLOWS DOWN everything in order to use as little fuel as possible. So, it takes fewer calories to run your body than it used to, and that makes it hard to lose/maintain weight. The second reason is that when your body kicks into this "starvation mode" as it's called, it is desperate to preserve fat stores. Also, your brain is missing some of the specific type of fuel it needs. So, to give your brain the right fuel AND to help keep that fat around, it starts burning off your muscle tissue. So, part of the "weight" you're losing is LEAN TISSUE. This not only affects your body composition and size (you'll be larger than if you had lost all your weight in fat), but the less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism. A one-two punch. So, when you start eating more calories, not only will it be easier to gain weight, but that weight will be 100% fat because you won't be replacing that muscle you lost. This means that you will be LARGER at the same weight.

The ONLY way to lose weight, if you really want to be successful, is to find a food plan that you feel comfortable with sticking with the rest of your life. Make sure it has enough calories to support your metabolism and that it's nutritious and well-rounded. You will not lose weight very quickly -- maybe 1% of your body weight per week, at best. But, if you have picked a food plan that you are going to stick with for the rest of your life, then how quickly you lose the weight doesn't matter. What matters is that you will be sticking with it to goal, and beyond, and will keep the weight off.

I know that feeling of being so desperate to lose weight that you are willing to do all kinds of crazy things. You just wish you could go cold turkey and never eat again -- that would be easier than making choices and restraining ourselves. But, that all-or-nothing attitude is what makes us fat and keeps us fat. Moderation and restraint aren't in our vocabularies -- they are things we have to LEARN, and which may never come naturally. But if you don't make peace with that concept, that slow and steady and healthy and life-long is better than wacky and dangerous and fast, you will continue to bounce from one harmful idea to the next, wrecking your body and getting even fatter.

Please, please, please: Go to www.jimkaras.net. There's a lot of good info here -- he has a book called Business Plan for the Body that's pretty good -- but I want you to use the Harris-Benedict calculator. This will tell you how many calories your body would need if it were "normal", and how many calories you can eat and lose weight. Then go to www.fitday.com and set up a plan with your calorie limits and nutrient requirements. You'll want to eat anywhere from 40% to 60% of your total intake from carbohydrates, and evenly divide the rest between fat and protein. You can then track everything you eat every day to make sure you are meeting your food goals. If you think you need help to create a food plan and stick to it, consider a program like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig (my program), or a nutritionist.

Keep in mind that, depending on your previous crash diet attempts and how long you've been doing the current one, you may plateau or gain weight as you increase your calories. Do it slowly. If the calculator says you need to eat, say 1500 per day, then the first week go for 1000, then the second 1200, then up to 1500. Give your body time to heal, and for your metabolism to regain its strength and get back up to normal. This may take very little time, or it could take a month or two. But, eventually, your body will get back up to speed and let you start losing FAT again. You might also want to take up weight training to rebuild some of that lost muscle.

these women know what they're talking about!!!! but i understand the limited mobility issue., there are some exercises that can be done in wheelchairs. i strongly suggest a few sessions with either a trainer, or, perhaps, a physical therapist.

just think!!! maybe you could be in the olympics!!!! wouldn't that be cool????

<there's a woman in my gym whose legs are paralyzed. i admire her so much. she crawls up the steps dragging her skateboard., and then she kneels on it and pushes herself along with her hands. climbs on the gazelle... kneels on it.. and off she goes.. and then she goes downstairs, gets into her bathing suit, and swims a mile. if she can do ALL THAT in her condition, i decided i would NEVER complain about doing bicep curls. such courage!!!!!>

__________________Start your day with a smile, and get it over with.Keeping it off is a hundred decisions a day that help you maintain what you achieved. And that's the hard part. - L Sanders

It's working. I lost 4 lbs this last week. I'm taking vitamins,calcium and fiber. After reading your very good advice I've also desided to up the cals this next week and see how it goes.I think, with some creativity, I can do between 800 and 1000 daily this next week and not feel so deprived. Thanks everyone for your advice and support. I'll get back to you.

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